III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 173 

Expressing support for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 as the blueprint 

for lasting peace in Northern Ireland. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 16, 2005 

Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. DODD, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. 

BIDEN, and Mr. LEAHY) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION

Expressing support for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 

as the blueprint for lasting peace in Northern Ireland.

Whereas in 1998, the Good Friday Agreement, signed on 

April 10, 1998, in Belfast, was endorsed in a referendum 

by the overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland; 

Whereas the parties to the Good Friday Agreement made a 

clear commitment to ‘‘partnership, equality, and mutual 

respect’’ as the basis for moving forward in pursuit of 

lasting peace in Northern Ireland; 

Whereas the parties to the Good Friday Agreement also affirmed their ‘‘total and absolute commitment to exclusively democratic and peaceful means’’ in pursuit of lasting peace in Northern Ireland; 
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•SRES 173 IS

Whereas inclusive power-sharing based on these defining 

qualities is essential to the viability and advancement of 

the democratic process in Northern Ireland; 

Whereas paramilitary and criminal activity in a democratic 

society undermines the trust and confidence that are essential in a political system based on inclusive powersharing in Northern Ireland; 

Whereas the United States Government continues to strongly 

support the peace process in Northern Ireland; and 

Whereas the Government of the United Kingdom and the 

Government of Ireland continue to strongly support the 

Good Friday Agreement as the way forward in the peace 

process, and have committed themselves to its implementation: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) the Senate reiterates its support for the 

3 Good Friday Agreement, signed on April 10, 1998, 

4 in Belfast, as the blueprint for a lasting peace in 

5 Northern Ireland; and 

6 (2) it is the sense of the Senate that— 

7 (A) the Irish Republican Army must imme8 diately— 

9 (i) complete the process of decommis10 sioning; 

11 (ii) cease to exist as a paramilitary or12 ganization; and 

13 (iii) end its involvement in any way in 

14 paramilitary and criminal activity; 
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•SRES 173 IS

1 (B) the Democratic Unionist Party in 

2 Northern Ireland must— 

3 (i) share power with all parties ac4 cording to the democratic mandate of the 

5 Good Friday Agreement; and 

6 (ii) commit to work in good faith with 

7 all the institutions of the Good Friday 

8 Agreement, which established an inclusive 

9 Executive and the North-South Ministerial 

10 Council, for the benefit of all the people of 

11 Northern Ireland; 

12 (C) Sinn Fein must work in good faith 

13 with the Police Service of Northern Ireland; 

14 (D) the leadership of Sinn Fein must insist 

15 that those responsible for the murder of Robert 

16 McCartney and those who were witnesses to the 

17 murder— 

18 (i) cooperate directly with the Police 

19 Service of Northern Ireland; and 

20 (ii) be protected fully from any retal21 iation by the Irish Republican Army; and 

22 (E) the Government of the United King23 dom must— 

24 (i) permanently restore the democratic 

25 institutions of Northern Ireland; 
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•SRES 173 IS

1 (ii) complete the process of demili2 tarization in Northern Ireland; and 

3 (iii) advance equality and human 

4 rights agendas in Northern Ireland.

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